Newbie guide/Picking a Server
Picking a Server There are a few things to keep in mind when you pick a server to play on. Where are Your Friends Playing? With each character your create, you can only interact fully with people on the same server (realm) and faction (Horde vs Alliance) as your character. You can create characters on different servers if you like, but then they cannot support each other by e.g. swapping gear, money, supplies, etc. You are allowed limited access to other servers. There is, however, the possibility of paid transfers. For $25, you may move one character to another server of the same type, for example PvP to PvP or PvE to PvE. You may also move from PvP to PvE, but not the other way around. The character will be unplayable while the transfer occurs, and a character can only be moved once a month. That is to say, if Alice was moved, she cannot be moved again for one month, but your second character ("alt"), Bob, can. Other than that, the only way for people on different servers to meet is through the cross-realm PvP battlegrounds, where characters from servers in the same battlegroup can meet. However, there is no guarantee that two players who would like to interact will be put into the same battleground game. What's Your Time Zone? This isn't as important, but playing on a server with a time zone similar to yours means more people will be on around the time you're going to play (if you play in normal hours). Things to take into account: * number of people to party(group)with (this is critical in instanced dungeons) * amount of buying and selling going on * prices in the auction house at peak hours * amount of activity in the Battlegrounds * number of opposite faction players to attack you, should you choose a PvP server * Amount of competition (more)for resources out in the wild What's the Server Population? Each server has a population listed on the server selection screen. Each server is characterized as having Low, Medium, High, and Full population. These servers change throughout the day, so you may want to decide on a server at the time you would normally play, so that you'll know how full it it is normally. You cannot create a character on a Full server unless you already have characters there. Some High population servers have wait queues during peak hours. This means you cannot sign in at all to them until other people have completely logged off of that server. New servers, instead of displaying population, display new status. New status means the server has just recently been put online and characters will be lower levels on average and the population starts very low of course. This means less resource competition and also a small economy so trading at the auction house will be reduced and prices will usually be lower. When these new servers are populated, naturally everyone starts at level 1, but of course after a month there will be many hardcore players at the level cap and things will pick up from there. What is the Horde/Alliance Breakdown? In some servers the ratio of the members of each faction is uneven. Often there are more Alliance than Horde. This can be an issue for PvP, grouping up, or just trying to complete quests since sometimes you have to wait for quests to respawn. Some say that one reason for the Alliance bias is the argument that the Alliance quests and areas are more polished than the Horde quests/areas. Other than that, some choose to play characters that are more appealing to the eye, or more similar to traditional heroes of fantasy literature and games. From there, the choice between Alliance and Horde would obviously depend on taste. See Races for more information on each. What Kind of Experience Are You Looking For? This is probably the biggest choice you have to make while playing World of Warcraft. There are four types of servers. ;PvE (Normal) : These servers pit player versus the environment, and are stigmatized as "easy mode" by some people, leading to the term carebear for players who are on PvE servers, so you're not likely to get much respect from people who are into hardcore PvP. But in these servers, you don't have to worry about other players killing you since the only way they can kill you is if you choose to let it happen. : This may be the least stressful gaming experience especially if you are new to the game, because of this it may be good idea for your first realm to be in a normal server so you can learn how to play as well as enjoy the story of the game. You can PvP if you want, but you are not required to. On these servers, most PvP takes place inside the Battlegrounds, but can also take place anywhere else. Attendance to the battlegrounds is completely optional, as is any other PvP experience. ;RP (Role Playing) : If you are more interested in being immersed in the game world than leveling up or getting cool items, these servers are for you. In these servers, you don't have a character to power-level. You are the character. You're expected to talk like your character (with whatever accent, whatever vocabulary), you're expected to act like how you think your character should act. In this server you also don't have to worry about PvP since you can only be killed by other faction players if you so choose (like normal servers). You are much less likely to get griefers on this server. Also, character name rules are stricter and out of character speech on public channels or in /say or /yell can earn you a visit from a GM who will require you to behave, etc. ;PvP (Player vs. Player) : Hardcore gamers will tell you that Player vs Player, or PVP, is the only way to go. In some ways, it is the most rewarding experience. In other ways it is the most frustrating and annoying experience. PvP brings an additional thrill and sense of excitement in the game. Also it opens up so much more of the game since most of the time you have to watch your back. Factions are usually more tightly knit and players on your side will frequently jump in to save you (if they can) at first sign of you struggling or give you warnings and other helpful stuff. Of course this also means a potentially frustrating experience such as if you're level 25 and trying to explore an area and having level 50s come by to gank you. ;RPPvP (Role Playing Player vs. Player) : The newest type of server, RPPvP servers have the elements of all-out PvP combat, but with the constraints of the RP ruleset. This is the type of server to choose if you are interested in being able to act out a character as truly as possible, by having him/her being able to attack members of the other faction at any time. Category:Guides Category:Newbies